Commuters Weary As All Set for Tonight’s Protest

At 9:45 a.m., BART police carried police barricades down the escalators to the Civic Center BART platform. “This,” said one, “is getting to be a regular thing.”

Today will be the third Monday in a row that people will converge on the Civic Center BART station to protest the July 3 fatal shooting of 45-year-old Charles Hill by BART police. There may also be people protesting BART’s decision to shut down cell phone service to thwart organizing at an earlier protests, and there may be GLBT protesters denouncing Anonymous, one of the key organizers of the protests, for distributing a BART spokesman’s personal nude snapshots. And there may also, at this protest, be BART commuters protesting the protest.

What’s clear is that even though most BART riders say they understand why people are protesting for the third Monday in a row, most have had enough. Several commuters said they were leaving work early in order to avoid the hassle.

“It’s ridiculous,” says Lydia S, a commuter leaving the 16th Street BART station. “Three times, three protests. One time, I understand but it’s too much.” She had gotten caught in the protest last Monday , she added, when hundreds of protesters swarmed Civic Center BART. When she realized that all four downtown BART stations were closed, she walked back to her office and waited. The protests ultimately ended at 9 p.m., with 45 arrests – most taken during a final sweep in front of the main library at Civic Center

“It’s not fair for commuters,” added another woman, Anna W. “I don’t think they will get people’s support,” she added.